NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 8 - Meal
Chapter 8 – Meal
“…It really healed?”
Facing each other across a long table, Khalifa muttered as she looked at Jin.
She remembered his face when she had offered treatment for his collapsed nose bridge, only for him to brush it off, saying he just needed a bucket.
It had been an injury that made his handsome face look pitiful, yet now, aside from a dark blue bruise on his nose, Jin looked almost completely fine.
“Your recovery is amazing.”
“That’s how it is.”
Jin nodded as he grabbed a cookie and took a bite.
The sugar rush from the chocolate chip-filled treat lifted his mood instantly.
Jin thought to himself—nothing beats sweets when dealing with stress.
As Jin sat there demolishing the plate of cookies, Khalifa, watching him, signaled to Po to bring out more snacks.
“Honestly, I was surprised. You fought Fenrir that fiercely. You think so too, right, Po?”
“Yes. I never expected him to use his beast transformation.”
Po said this as he set down a plate full of cookies.
Jin wasted no time snatching one up with his index finger and popping it into his mouth.
“Who even is that guy? A real werewolf?”
“Fenrir. A wolf beastkin and a well-known solo mercenary. A veteran among veterans.”
Well-known?
Veteran?
So, I was up against someone like that.
Jin, forgetting his broken nose, felt his chest swell with pride.
Of course, it was a little disappointing that the fight had ended without a clear winner.
But then again, he had no real desire to fight a 2-meter-10-centimeter beastkin wielding twin dragon swords to the death.
Maybe next time, they could just share a hot dog.
Guys like them became friends by beating the crap out of each other, after all.
As Jin was thinking this—
“Alright, back to business.”
Shifting the atmosphere, Khalifa laced her fingers together and placed them on the table.
“You said you wanted to be a solo mercenary, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Then you came to the right place. Shall we proceed with the contract?”
“Just like that?”
“No need to waste time. You’ve already been verified.”
As soon as Khalifa finished speaking, Po placed a sheet of paper on the table.
“It’s just a formality, but this is the contract. Would you like to read it?”
“Ah, hold on.”
Jin quickly wiped his crumb-covered palm on his thigh before reaching for the document—
[ Solo ] ──────────────
Once a stray dog of the streets,you have finally earned recognition as a mercenary.
Upon acceptance, gain the title: Solo (Lv1)Unlock new starting perks
─────────────────
“…!”
Jin instinctively flung the contract away.
Yet the translucent window before his eyes did not disappear, leaving only Khalifa to tilt her head in confusion as she caught the fluttering paper midair.
“Is there a problem?”
Jin couldn’t answer.
This wasn’t the usual [NEO ?? ??? ????].
It was a new quest window, new text, new rewards.
Another cruel reminder that this world was just a game, and his life was nothing more than a fabricated joke.
Compared to this, a twin-sword-wielding werewolf was child’s play.
Now it just pops up whenever it pleases, huh?
A wave of nausea threatened to rise, but Jin fought to suppress his frustration.
There were things he needed to take advantage of here.
“…I’ll do it. The contract.”
“Huh?”
“I’m signing the contract.”
Snatching the contract from Khalifa’s hand, Jin grabbed a pen and scrawled his signature without hesitation.
At that moment, the quest window before his eyes vanished like melting snow, replaced by golden letters flashing [Completed!].
A tingling rush of exhilaration coursed through his mind.
At the same time, Jin realized he had gained the right to ignite a new constellation.
He lacked the experience points to unlock it just yet, but that could be dealt with over time through more missions.
As Jin let out a faint sigh, Khalifa tucked away the signed contract and spoke.
“You really are an unpredictable man. But I suppose that’s what makes you fit to be a solo. Anyway, Jin? Welcome to Anekdote. Let’s work well together.”
She extended a bare, pale hand across the table.
Jin grasped it and nodded.
“Yeah. Looking forward to it.”
****
3508 S Down Town BLVD,Area 47, LC
Lost City’s address system was in English.
Compared to South Korea, it was written in perfect reverse order.
Breaking it down—
Area 47, LC referred to a district within Lost City.
S Down Town BLVD was a major road cutting through South Downtown.
So, what exactly was at 3508?
It was none other than Rumpumpumpum.
The food was disgustingly bad, the prices weren’t cheap, but at least it was safe—an infuriating yet indispensable 24-hour diner.
Jin stepped inside.
To get free food.
No, that wasn’t right.
Since he was here to settle an outstanding balance, it couldn’t exactly be called free.
He climbed the stairs, recalling a promise made a week ago.
[Where has your love gone?]
[Does it even exist?]
[Is it really here?]
As an old speaker crooned out a breakup song, Jin made his way to his usual spot—second floor, right corner.
There, he found a blonde woman staring out the window.
“Why are you here?”
Jin tossed out the question as he sank into the sofa.
The woman, Jenny, turned her head.
“Disappointed it’s not my brother?”
“Doesn’t really matter to me.”
Jin’s attention was already drawn to the table, laden with food.
Pepperoni pizza, hot dogs, cornbread, fried chicken, boiled collard greens, and corn salad smothered in mayonnaise.
“Oh.”
Rolling up his sleeves, Jin dove straight into the meal.
It was exactly the kind of quality one would expect from Rumpumpumpum.
The pepperoni pizza was so salty it seemed like the dough had been soaked in brine, the hot dog sausage had the texture of rubber, the cornbread was so dry it kept getting stuck in his throat, and the fried chicken reeked of warm rancid oil.
But this was Jin.
He was an expert at eating anything, enthusiastically and obsessively, so Jenny just watched in silence as he emptied the plates in no time.
“There are plenty of better places than this.”
“I can’t eat comfortably in those places.”
“…Something bothering you?”
“Why?”
“You just look like it.”
“Something did happen. But it’s fine. Eating makes it better.”
Saying that, Jin scooped up a big bite of corn salad.
“How’s your body holding up?”
“Thanks to you, much better.”
Jenny smiled, and as Jin looked at her brighter expression, he took another scoop of corn salad.
“That’s good to hear. What about Jecky? His heart got replaced, right?”
“Yeah. He’s recovering now. Also thanks to you.”
“Why do you keep saying it’s thanks to me?”
“I heard you didn’t take any commission for the job.”
“Didn’t take any? I survived a whole week off it. And I’m settling the balance right now, aren’t I? Every Wednesday, 7 PM, at Rumpumpumpum. There’s still plenty left. Since we’re on the topic, I usually don’t have much to say, so just come out and chat. Bring Jecky too, if you want.”
Jenny was silent for a while before finally speaking cautiously.
“…You know, you don’t really fit in with Downtown.”
“Huh? That’s bad news. Do I look like a newbie?”
“No, not that…”
Jenny trailed off, watching Jin mutter, “I’ve been here for two years, you know…” and then suddenly burst into laughter.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. Just finish your meal.”
“Whatever.”
The meal continued.
Jin’s appetite far exceeded Jenny’s expectations, and the two ended up ordering more fried chicken—since that was the only thing remotely edible.
“By the way, what’s up with your clothes?”
“Oh, this?”
Jin looked down at his flight jacket, torn in four places across the chest, and began rambling about his day.
Visiting a linker to try living solo.
Getting shoulder-checked while wandering dog.
Running into Fenrir again at Anekdote.
He added some dramatic flair to the fight.
I was fine, but that guy was practically knocked out—until, out of nowhere, he pulled a phase-two transformation and turned into a werewolf.
Jenny listened with wide-eyed interest, offering useful insights in the process.
Beastfolk weren’t a separate race but a type of enhanced human created through genetic engineering.
Their physical abilities far surpassed those of an ordinary human in the same weight class, and when they underwent beastification, the gap widened even further—turning them into living weapons.
“No wonder. His punches had a real kick to them.”
“…? You said you didn’t get hit.”
“Where was I?”
He conveniently skipped over the part where he spent over an hour vomiting up blood.
In this version, Jin had won without taking a single hit.
With that, he wrapped up his story with his deal with Khalifa, then reached into his pocket.
“They gave me this.”
“A phone?”
“Since I don’t have a BCI chip, they figured I needed some way to stay in contact.”
“Still, isn’t this model way too old? Anekdote is supposed to be a pretty big-name linker office, right?”
“I picked it myself.”
Jin dismissed the topic with a short response.
In truth, Khalifa had shown him several accessory-type phones capable of video calls.
However, Jin chose an outdated display-type terminal that hardly anyone used anymore.
There was no particular reason.
He simply picked it because it looked the most like a smartphone.
“Dial your number.”
After naturally exchanging numbers, Jin tucked the phone into his pocket.
By the time they had finished the newly ordered chicken, both of them stood up almost simultaneously, without needing to say who would go first.
“Thanks for the meal today. Take care, and see you next week.”
“You too. Stay safe.”
After parting ways with Jenny, Jin walked alone through the night streets, where the streetlights replaced the moonlight.
A few illegally modified bikes roared past him, their engines blaring loudly.
The punk-styled bikers, reveling in their own amusement, screamed joyfully as they sped away.
At some point, raindrops began to fall from the sky.
Jin stepped under the eaves of a building to avoid the rain, where he found two men who had arrived before him.
One was a drug addict, so intoxicated he couldn’t even hold himself up.
The other was a middle-aged man with a serious expression, puffing on a cigarette while staring intensely at a business card in his other hand.
None of the three had any interest in one another, leaving the space under the eaves in silence.
Jin, his hands tucked in his pockets, gazed at a puddle filled with rainwater, watching the neon signs of the towering buildings reflected in it.
The chaotic blend of colors continuously broke and scattered under the falling rain, only to suddenly ripple violently.
Someone had stepped into the puddle.
The retreating figure resembled the middle-aged man who had been smoking.
What compelled him to rush into the rain?
Jin turned his head.
In the spot where the man had stood, only a dampening business card and a cigarette butt remained, like relics of his presence.
[We buy fresh organs. High prices offered.]
The moment Jin looked away from the blatant message on the card—
A voice called out to him, weak and cracked.
“…Got any dr-drugs?”
“No.”
“Anything will do. R-romang, Black Larak, Mighty Heart, Penta Amemex…”
“I don’t have any.”
“Sh-shit. Got it.”
“You cold? Want my jacket?”
The junkie shook his head as Jin started to take off his jumper.
“D-drugs make you f-feel fine.”
Then, with hollow eyes, the addict struggled to his feet and staggered into the rain, his legs weak and unsteady.
Jin watched him in silence until the darkness swallowed the man whole.
Only then did he lean back against the wall.
Eventually, he slid down along the wall, letting himself sit on the wet ground.
The rain showed no sign of stopping.
Jin crossed his arms.
He stared at the sky for a long time before, at some point, quietly closing his eyes.
And when he opened them again, a new day was waiting for him.
Day 371.
Around that time, the outdated terminal in his inner pocket began to vibrate.
[The request is ready. Meet me at Anekdote.]